COVERS XBOX 360 AND SONY PLAYSTATION 3 COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

Doug Walsh

introduction ...........................................2 bringers of the apocalypse ....................... 4 basics of war ....................................... 10 walkthrough
Prologue ...................................................................... 30 The Crossroads .......................................................... 36 Scalding Gallow ........................................................ 48 Choking Grounds...................................................... 54 The Broken Stair ........................................................ 62 Twilight Cathedral .................................................... 68 Drowned Pass ............................................................ 88 Anvils Ford ................................................................ 96 The Hollows ............................................................. 104 Dry Road ................................................................... 118 The Ashlands ........................................................... 126 Iron Canopy .............................................................. 146 The Black Throne .................................................... 162 Eden ........................................................................... 182 The Destroyer ........................................................... 188

forces of heaven and hell ...................... 204 collectibles ..........................................230 achievements & trophies ...................... 240

After The Charred Council stripped War of his powers, they assigned The Watcher to ensure that War not overstep his bounds. The Watcher is given authority to end Wars life should the need arise. A nuisance at times and a guiding light at others, The Watcher is a part of War, so he better learn to live with him.

THE WATCHEr

The unscrupulous demon known as Vulgrim is neither friend nor foe to War. He is a peddler of upgrades, consumables, and abilities, and hes no more than an unpleasant

VuLgrIm

necessity to those who seek his business. Vulgrim seeks the souls of the deadhe accepts no other currencyand hell trade anything to get them. That is, if the price is right.

Getting Started

Souls
The End of Days has come, and the entire human race has perished. This has left untold numbers of Souls encased in caskets, objects, and consumed by all sorts of unearthly creatures. During your adventure, you free tens of thousands of Souls by opening caskets, slaying thousands of enemies, and by destroying what little remains of the human world. Souls come in three colors, and each is used for a different purpose.
Intro | Bringers of the Apocalypse | Basics of War | Walkthrough | Forces of heaven and hell | Collectibles | Achievements & trophies

Currency souls: These blue Souls are the most common form. Caskets yield hundreds at a time, and nearly every object you smash yields a few more. Most enemies you defeat also relinquish several of these Souls. Use these blue Souls as currency, trading them to Vulgrim in exchange for items, abilities, and upgrades.

life souls: These green Souls instantly replenish lost health when you find them. Depending on how many of these Souls you come across, you might replenish a small portion of the health meter or as much as several Lifestones! Life Souls are commonly found in green-glowing caskets. You can also obtain them by using the Instant Kill technique to kill low-level enemies, such as Duskwings and Locusts.

Wrath souls: You instantly absorb the yellow Souls that escape caskets and enemies to replenish your Wrath Cores. As with Life Souls, Wrath Souls are not used as currency, but rather as a way of restoring your special Wrath power. The most reliable way to acquire Wrath Souls is to defeat an enemy with an Instant Kill attack, as this technique almost always releases multiple yellow Souls.

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Chaos Form
The third and final meter in the screens top left corner is the Chaos Meter (not available at the start of a game). The red spiral gradually fills as you use the Chaoseater to fight enemies. The spiral takes the form of a demon and pulses red once the meter is full. This indicates that you can unleash Wars Chaos Form, an incredibly powerful version of War thats immune to damage and can cut through most any enemy with just one or two slices. Chaos Form lasts but a few short seconds, and you must use it sparingly. Its your secret weapon to deal with enemies that might otherwise be too big for you to handle or too numerous to outlast. You move very slowly in Chaos Form, so make sure you are close to your enemies when you trigger it (Wrath Power + Use Gear buttons). Press the Sword Attack button to make your Chaos Form swing its fiery sword in a horizontal slashing motion, or press the Secondary Attack button to swing it in a downward overhand motion.

Thrust Into Combat

You cant reach the Destroyer without spilling a lot of blood along the way. Though your Chaoseater sword may seem impressive at first, you must master multiple weapons, enhancements, and several Wrath Powers in order to reach your goal. This section details each weapons strength and weakness, the attacks you can perform with them, and the weapon enhancements to find. Most of the casualties you accrue come via the Chaoseater sword, but you ultimately acquire additional weapons, including the Scythe and Tremor Gauntlet. These weapons level up, becoming increasingly powerful the more you use them. You can improve each weapon to a level-four maximum. Each weapon features a number of potential attack moves, though you dont have to purchase some of these attacks from Vulgrim.

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THE CROSSROADS
A century has passed since that fateful day when the Horsemen of the Apocalypse rode to meet the Destroyer. The time wasnt right and now War stands before the Charred Council, accused of not abiding the laws concerning the Seven Seals. War, convinced he acted accordingly, pleads to be sent back to the surface in search of the Dark One who betrayed the pact and doomed mankind. War did not start the conict between Heaven and Hell but was merely caught in the middle. Now he must prove it or suffer eternal damnation under the ruling of the Charred Council.

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This large, dinosaur-like creature is a Gholen. It has aming hands, and it pounds the ground and charges after War with abandon. Its a formidable foe that can overpower Waruse your superior intellect to overcome the discrepancy in strength! Before you move in for the kill, maintain a safe distance and throw tables, chairs, and the piano at the beast. You get Souls for breaking the furniture, but more importantly, you can weaken the beast while remaining safely out of its reach. Fight through the spiraling hallway and exit the hotel from the top oor to reach The Crossroads.

The Crossroads
6 9 3 5 4

2 8

Start Point

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The Crossroads LIBRARY

12 13 14

Intro | Bringers of the Apocalypse | Basics of War | Walkthrough | Forces of Heaven and Hell | Collectibles | Achievements & Trophies

11 10

THE CROSSROADS TREASURE

CHEST NO. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CONTENTS 100 Souls Health 100 Souls Health 100 Souls Health 200 Souls ABILITY REQUIRED CHEST NO. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 CONTENTS 500 Souls Hellre Enhancement Health 100 Souls Lifestone Shard Health Wrath Shard ABILITY REQUIRED Smash all 6 re hydrants Tremor Gauntlet Abyssal Chain

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War nds the demon Vulgrim in the center of the plaza and is quickly relieved of the Souls he has acquired thus far. Vulgrim agrees to help guide him on his path toward the Destroyer, but there is a price. War must provide Vulgrim with a steady supply of Soulsinformation and guidance doesnt come cheap.

D E AT H D E A L E R War encounters Vulgrim for the rst time at The Crossroads, after ghting his way through the parking garage and Seraphim Hotel.

Collect 400 Souls for the Demon, Vulgrim

Hoardseeker Obtained!
Vulgrim gives War a helping hand by handing over the Hoardseeker item upon their initial meeting. This demon trinket reveals the locations of all nearby chests and other items of value on the map.

Health the Raven

Be on the lookout for large, black birds that occasionally utter at head height near the street. Though they pose no physical threat, these ravens are ornery enough to dive-bomb War.

Vulgrim has that which War needs to continue his quest, but his assistance comes at a price. Scour the area known as The Crossroads for blue Souls by smashing trees, lampposts, and cars, and by defeating the hordes of demons you encounter. Leap through the ofce buildings windows to the right of Vulgrim, and use the furniture inside to defeat the ery Fleshburster. Collect the 100 Souls from the casket in the back room before you return to the street.

Slice them in two with a single sword slash to gain some extra health Souls.

You can nd additional caskets in each of the craters at the ends of the streets. Leap down to nd the casket, and then climb the Demonic Growth to return to the street. Move to the squares western side to rack up a huge combo against Phantom Guard Soldiers and Wickeds. Then venture down into the ooded cavern at the base of the subway stairs.

The street alongside this ofce is crawling with Wickeds, Phantom Guard Soldiers, and a Gholen! Be extra careful when you venture down this road. Use Wars blocking ability to create countering opportunities against the Phantom Guard Soldiers. Exploit the smattering of vehicles as weapons against the Gholen.

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The Crossroads

ARTIFACT: SOLDIER
Descend the stairs on the maps west side and dive into the water inside the cavern. Swim down into the murky depths to nd this Soldier Artifact. Vulgrim buys Soldier Artifacts such as this in exchange for 500 Souls. Collect all of the Artifacts to unlock an Achievement/Trophy.

Trading with Vulgrim

War uses the Souls he acquires from defeating demons and smashing objects as currency for trading with Vulgrim. Vulgrim sells numerous abilities and items, including special attacks, Wrath abilities, weapons, and restorative items. Exchange the Soldier Artifact you nd in the watery cavern for an additional 500 Souls, and purchase the Harpoon Tackle or Flipsaw attack if possible. Intro | Bringers of the Apocalypse | Basics of War | Walkthrough | Forces of Heaven and Hell | Collectibles | Achievements & Trophies

Secret Chest: Destroy the Fire Hydrants

Smashing all six re hydrants in The Crossroads streets gives War a much-needed shower, and it triggers the appearance of a secret casket containing 500 Souls! The hydrants are located on the sidewalks: one is near the stairs leading to the underground cavern, and the other ve are along the main street to the west of Vulgrims location. The casket appears under the awning across from Vulgrim.

Climb the Demonic Growth along the top of the underground cavern toward the casket in the distance. Beware the Lashers that drop down to attack from the Demonic Growthbe ready to swing the Chaoseater as soon as the skull piles that form their heads start to move! Return to Vulgrim and exchange the Souls for the You can also use it to blow back lesser creatures. Earthcaller. This horn allows War to open Tormented Gates and access new areas.

T O M O V E A M O U N TA I N Meet Vulgrim in The Crossroads and acquire the 400 Souls he demands. In return, he gives War the horn known as the Earthcaller. You can use it to blow aside lesser enemies and to open the massive Tormented Gates that control access to new areas.

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Wicked FeMale
Female version of the once human creatures that shamble throughout the world.
Class Hit Points signature attaCk Damage

The Wicked

intro | bringers of the apocalypse | basics of War | Walkthrough | Forces of Heaven and Hell | collectibles | achievements & trophies asics of War | Walkthrough asics of War | Walkthrough asics of War | Walkthrough | Forces of Heaven and Hell | collectibles | achievements & trophies

Fodder

75

Infection Strike

Wicked Females move and fight just like their male counterparts. They would be indistinguishable if not for their torn skirts and long hair. Show these foul beasts no chivalry! Slash at them with the Chaoseater as they draw near, and trust that the legendary blade finds little resistance as it slices through their frail bodies. Press the Action button next to a Wicked Female to instantly kill the beast with your bare hands.

FlesHburster burster
Fiery Golem bent on destruction.
Class Hit Points signature attaCk Damage

Elite

500

Kamikazien

15

The flaming Fleshburster can withstand several strikes from your Chaoseater before it unleashes its Kamikaze self-destruct attack. Stay away from its fiery overhead pound attack, and use hit-and-run attacks to weaken it. Forehand Strikes and Sword Uppercut inflict plenty of damage. Watch for the Fleshburster to arch its back and roar, and dash away before it explodes in a dangerous cloud of flames and souls.

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collectibleS
Darksiders contains numerous items to collect, including Weapon Enhancements, Artifacts, Abyssal Armor Pieces, and Lifestone and Wrath Shards. Many of these sit right out in the open, or you obtain them by completing tasks associated with the story. But others are both hard to find and extremely valuable, most notably the Artifacts and Abyssal Armor Pieces. Finding all 27 Artifacts and 10 Abyssal Armor Pieces doesnt just unlock an Achievement/Trophy; it also makes your march against the Destroyer much more likely to succeed.

Artifacts
Soldier ArtifActS
These ancient insignias were given to the Legions of Hell as trophies for the carnage of the End Days. Return them to Vulgrim, and he will reward you. 500 Souls paid per Soldier Artifact traded. Lifestone Shard awarded for finding all 20 Soldier Artifacts. LocAtion

the croSSroAdS

LocAtion

choking groundS

Descend the stairs on the west side of the map, and dive into the water inside the cavern. Swim down into the murky depths to find this Artifact.

Locate the narrow staircase leading underground on the areas north side, and descend them to a circular room filled with enemies. An Artifact is on the side of the room opposite the hallway.

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Official Strategy Guide

By Doug Walsh 2009 DK/BradyGAMES, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. BradyGAMES is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. DK/BradyGames, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 800 East 96th Street, 3rd Floor Indianapolis, IN 46240 2009 THQ Inc. Developed by Vigil Games. Darksiders, Vigil Games, THQ and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. PlayStation, PLAYSTATION and PS Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. Please be advised that the ESRB ratings icons, EC, E, E10+, T, M, AO, and RP are trademarks owned by the Entertainment Software Association, and may only be used with their permission and authority. For information regarding whether a product has been rated by the ESRB, please visit www.esrb.org. For permission to use the ratings icons, please contact the ESA at esrblicenseinfo@theesa.com. ISBN-10: 0-7440-1086-1 ISBN-13: 978-0-7440-1086-2 Printing Code: The rightmost double-digit number is the year of the books printing; the rightmost single-digit number is the number of the books printing. For example, 09-1 shows that the first printing of the book occurred in 2009. 12 11 10 09 Printed in the USA. 4 3 2 1

credits
Title Manager Tim Fitzpatrick Screenshot Editor Michael Owen Book Designer Doug Wilkins Production Designer Wil Cruz

bradygames staff
Publisher David Waybright Editor-In-Chief H. Leigh Davis Licensing Director Mike Degler Marketing Director Debby Neubauer International Translations Brian Saliba

acknowledgments
BradyGAMES sincerely thanks everyone at THQ and Vigil for their gracious support of this project. Very special thanks to Kirk Somdal, Daniel McGuffey, Robert Benjamin, David Adams, Tim Bell, Tim Campbell, Clint Chapman, Waleed Kamel, Joe Madureira, Rob Sheperd, and Brian Balistreri. Without your help, this guide would not have been possiblethank you! Doug Walsh: Darksiders provided an excellent way to wrap up another great year! Huge thanks to my editor Tim Fitzpatrick who is always a pleasure to work with. I anxiously look forward to our next project together. I also want to thank Leigh Davis, David Waybright, and Mike Degler of BradyGames for their continued support and for assigning me this project. Kudos to Doug Wilkins for another crack job on the design. Lastly, I want to thank everyone at THQ and Vigil for their support, specifically Daniel McGuffey of THQ, who was very helpful as we neared completion of the book.